Reviews by AdamBear:

I've heard so much about this place. I was finally able to visit Phily, and I literally went straight from the airport to here. I was not disappointed.

Atmosphere: small, cozy tavern in the city. dark. now I thought the small size would be terrible for such a popular place, but surprisingly on the 2 weekend night that i was there it was quite tame. there is no loud music, and the patrons are friendly and passive. its perfect.

Service: extremely knowledge and helpful

Quality/Selection: BEST. BEER. LIST. EVER. simply put, it has tons and tons of rare Belgians and American craft beers. The draft list is on the small size, but it makes up for it in quality. there were way too many beers here that I wanted to try.

More User Reviews:

The legendary Monk's Cafe! A craft beer icon in both locally in Philadelphia and in the United States, if not the world.

We sat at the front bar. It was pretty crowded for mid-afternoon on a Saturday, but due to a party leaving right as we arrived, we managed to get three seats together. The space is somewhat cramped and the lighting features neon. It's a weathered aesthetic. A testament to the bar's longevity, perhaps.

The tap list is small, but incredibly well-considered. There is a focus on Belgian and Belgian-inspired brewing, but there is a nod of the head to the popularity of IPA, as well. The taps are split across the two bars. You can order from either, but it does mean waiting a little bit for your beer to be fetched from the other bar, as necessary. I had a Russian River Blind Pig and a dry-hopped Saison Dupont. The beer was in top shape.

We didn't eat, but the menu, like the beer, trends Belgian. There's an impressive range of mussel preparations that I'd love to sample.

The service is a bit stuffy. Our bartender wasn't unfriendly, but he didn't welcome us with open arms, either.

I can only imagine the oasis that Monk's Cafe must have been in, say, 1998. (1,190 characters)

Without question, this place has an awesome draft list! However, I feel that the bartenders are extremely pretentious and act as though you are bothering them when you order your beer. (184 characters)

Amazing selection of primarily Belgians and rare beers. Food is excellent and and as affordable as can be in Center City Philly. Truly a beer connoisseur's heaven. I had my first Rochefort 10 there 15 or so years ago and it has held a special place in my heart ever since. (272 characters)